Luca- Luxembourg

Andrei- Moldova

Stanislav- Chernoslovakia

Irinushka- Transnisdria

Ediz- Gagauzia

Alin- Romania

Adriaan- Netherlands

Anri- Belgium

…

Oh don't mind me, just engaging in my traditional sad Christmas/New Year's luxmold, which is apparently a thing now. So yeah, as opposed to last year's luxmold this is less gritty reality and more fantasy, set in post-apocalyptic Kent. So warning for some blood, death, war, and other unpleasantries.

So this story contains a few ocs, of three little places in Moldova itself. Transnistria, as I'm sure you've heard, is a de-facto state in Moldova along the Ukrainian boarder. Gagauzia is an autonomous region in the south of Moldova, and Chernoslovakia is a micronation in Transnistria. This is mostly practice writing them, as they'll be appearing in my multichapter luxmold fic, where they'll be more developed as characters.

Anyway, enjoy!

…

Luca hated to admit it, but they were probably not going to make it out alive.

He darted from one side of the cramped, pitiful room they were trapped in to the other, searching for any form of escape, no matter how slim. There were no windows, and the only door was somewhat... barred.

It wasn't a pleasant place to be trapped in. The room was nearly pitch black, the only light coming from a crack under the door, often obscured by heavy boots. A large chunk of the floor space was taken up by a wooden table and steel kitchen units, crusted with dried blood. Knives and cleavers hung from the walls, some buried in the tabletop, and Luca supposed they could come in handy, should it come to that.

An angry mob- a vile, murderous gang- were outside, carrying makeshift but destructive weapons and trying to break down the door to, well, Luca would rather not find out what they had in mind for him and his companions. They seemed pretty eager to catch them though, given how long they'd chased what was essentially a harmless group of children, relentlessly baying for blood.

He glanced over at his companions and gave them a reassuring smile, though all could see that it was false. And that Luca was terrified.

Andrei clutched his baby brother and whispered in his ear. Soothing him. Comforting him. Trying to get him to stop Goddamn crying. Stanislav's wails cut through them- and had gotten them discovered when they'd tried to hide here- and the older two hoped that, if he stopped, those outside would think they'd escaped and would just leave them alone.

But even Luca knew it was a long shot.

Either side of Andrei were his little brother and sister: Ediz and Irinushka, clutching his clothes with trembling, clammy hands and looking at their brother silently, waiting for him to save them. Andrei himself glanced over at Luca with the same expression.

Andrei began singing to Stanislav softly, a Russian song Luca had never heard of. Stanislav only listened when spoken to in a Slavic language, and only his sister Irinushka could truly calm him down. But Irinushka was too terrified to speak, staring up at him forlornly.

"Please, come on, be a good child and be quiet for us," he cooed.

Stanislav threw his toy duck in Andrei's face in reply, screaming and flailing his arms.

Had it been any other time, Luca would've chuckled and embraced his makeshift family in a long hug, giving everyone a kiss on the cheek, even Stanislav, despite his tendency to bite. He'd have stroked Irinushka's hair and picked up Ediz as the boy laughed. He'd have kissed Andrei, despite protests and groans from the children, and everything would be fine.

But not now.

Now they were going to die and no amount of comforting from Luca could change that, or even make it easier to deal with.

Luca leaned against the wall and sunk to the floor, head in his hands. Oh, what did it even matter, searching for an escape route? There was none and they were trapped.

The mob hammered at the door, threw themselves against it and battered it with their weapons, each clang making him jump. The noise was distant and piercing at the same time, and he tried to blame the whole situation on a nightmare. Maybe it was something he ate last night? He knew he shouldn't have let Andrei rummage through a skip- they might have gotten food poisoning- but then again, they'd been truly desperate.

The door was thick, and strong, but it couldn't hold forever. Sooner or later, it would be wrenched from its hinges and those inside would be butchered, most likely. Luca looked around. A fitting location.

"We'll find a way," Andrei began in a quiet voice, finally succeeding in calming down Stanislav and sitting next to him, cross-legged with the baby resting across his lap. Irinushka and Ediz crawled between them, clutching each other and their guardians. They wore the same expression they were wearing the first time Luca met them, having stumbled across the youngest three children hiding and them mistaking him for a threat.

Luca could never hurt them. He would never do it, no matter what he was offered. He'd never betray them, even for a chance to see his own siblings again.

"Hey, it's going to be fine," he told them, "you heard your brother, didn't you? We'll find a way out."

"But they said they were gonna kill us," Ediz mumbled.

"And I said we're gonna live," Andrei whispered fiercely.

Luca glanced over, recognising that spark in Andrei's eyes, the same spark that flared whenever things looked hopeless, whenever Luca despaired about where the next meal would come from, or if someone would eventually hunt them down, or when one of the children got sick. It meant he would find a way out of their problems, or it meant him taking Luca's hand and softly whispering that they'd made it this far and couldn't give up now. It was also that same spark that was in his eyes the first time he'd stumbled across Luca, clutching a bat in his hands and growling at him to get away from the children. Luckily, that little misunderstanding got cleared up before any dents appeared in Luca's skull.

"We will! We will!" Irinushka closed her eyes and screwed up her six year old face, earning a nudge from Andrei.

"Shush, you. We need to be quiet." Andrei ran the tips of his fingers through her long hair absent-mindedly. The four of them watched the door shudder and flinched as more shouts came from the other side, threats of murder and mutilation. Luckily, the sounds hadn't disturbed Stanislav.

Luca couldn't let that happen. This sorry group was all he had left, and meant more to him than he could say. His brother always said everything had a price, but Luca couldn't think of any amount of money that could possibly be of equal value to the man he loved and his eccentric younger siblings who made up Luca's new family. He supposed they were his price, the one thing he would sink evilly low for. Luca feared that, given the choice, he'd sacrifice the entire planet to keep them safe.

Not that there was much planet left to sacrifice.

Global warfare had destroyed almost all of earth's life, and the few that hadn't perished clung to civilization's remains, hiding in the buildings that hadn't been levelled, hiding from those wanting control of this new, dead world. Some had formed gangs that battled for control of the most land, gangs which killed for fun. Living in a world like this was a dehumanising existence, one that could turn your own kind into nothing but sport and games in your eyes. Humans were now things to be hunted, tormented, slaughtered for pleasure.

No wonder Andrei had tried to kill Luca when he'd caught the boy talking to his siblings. He'd thought they were well hidden while he looked for food, safe in the knowledge that nothing could hurt them.

He'd tried to tear Luca apart.

But Luca had reasoned with him, somehow. Convinced the boy that he truly meant no harm. Asked to accompany them, even.

It had taken a lot of convincing for Andrei to let that happen, and Luca knew he'd not trusted him for a good few weeks, always prepared to jump in and kill him, should he try to hurt them. Luca had felt the same way, but there was safety in numbers and he was lost and alone in a strange country, wandering around close to death.

He'd not seen the war coming. Few had. That was why he'd felt safe enough for a little school trip to Canterbury with his class. It was supposed to have been a peaceful weekend walking around the picturesque city and taking in the sights. But complications arose and getting home became difficult as negotiations between countries broke down. A weekend dragged out over weeks, riots broke out up and down the country and the phone lines were cut off, along with internet access, severing Luca's contact with his brother and sister back in Luxembourg. But by then they'd had bigger problems, as the Benelux were devastated by an airstrike the next day.

When the UK's turn came, the southern coast, including Kent, had been the first to fall, and most of Luca's party perished. He'd been lucky. He was pulled from the rubble of their flattened hotel with only minor injury, saved by the bed he'd hidden under. Then the rest of his classmates died one by one, either from injury or starvation, and a few unfortunates were picked off as survivors turned on each other.

Andrei had been a blessing. Before his family picked up Luca and let him tag along, he'd not known what to do. He'd not had a future. Luca knew that, without them, he'd have succumbed to hunger or hunters or even his mind as hardship chipped away at his sanity. There was the chance that, had their meeting occurred only months later, Luca would have killed the three children on sight, and that thought terrified him.

Luca remembered mentioning it to Andrei that he still didn't know how to handle challenges he couldn't pay, talk or drink his way out of. The other had laughed and Luca couldn't help but laugh too. At his naivety. At their situation.

"I'll find something. Don't worry," he grinned at Andrei as he stood up, starting his search for an exit afresh.

He'll admit suggesting they spent the night sheltering in an abandoned abattoir was, upon reflection, a terrible idea, but it was raining heavily and they'd been freezing. There had been no other buildings in sight, and they'd been walking through the Kent countryside for hours, so Luca decided to call it a day.

Luca felt along the walls on the off chance there was a secret passage somewhere, but, of course, nothing budged or opened. He tried not to panic. The knives seemed to be grinning at him.

None of them had expected the abattoir to contain fresh meat.

The five of them had huddled together in the main room, an enormous room filled with cuts of animal hanging from hooks on the ceiling. Luca remembered Andrei whispering to him how it made no sense as Ediz and Irina pulled faces, and Luca was inclined to agree. Surely the contents of the abattoir would have been destroyed in the fighting, already eaten or left to rot. Who the hell was still cutting cows up at a time like this?

But as Ediz and Irina talked of burgers and steak hungrily, the older boys studied the carcasses more closely. Too small for cows, too skinny for pigs. And none of them had seen any animals about. Well, none, except...

Then Andrei spied a body with a tattoo and they decided it was time for a hasty exit.

"Oh give it up already," Andrei snapped after five minutes, "we're not getting out of here."

"No, there has to be a way," Luca stood up. Maybe there was a window he'd missed, since it was so hard to see in such darkness.

They'd been jumped as they tried to leave, a group of armed, burly thugs barring their way. One had tried to snatch Ediz, but Andrei grabbed him back and they'd ran for their lives. Through a side corridor, up a flight of stairs, twisting this was and that until none of them could run any more and Luca pushed them into a side room. Now here they were. Trapped.

There was no window, of course. Luca fell to his knees in despair, letting out a wail that only succeeded in exciting the voices outside.

"Be quiet you," hissed Irinushka, and the corners of Luca's mouth twitched upwards.

"Please, just sit with us," Andrei whispered, "we don't have long and I... I just want us all together for that time."

"I'm not giving up," Luca swallowed and stood up. Andrei just sighed.

He thought of their first kiss whilst he searched. Someone had tried to steal Stanislav whilst they were sleeping, not knowing Luca was awake and watching their every move. He'd been injured in the fight, but the important thing was that Stanislav was not taken. After Andrei and the others had made sure the baby was fine, and calmed the tot down, Andrei turned his attentions to Luca's injury: a small stab wound on his leg, thankfully not deep enough to kill him. He treated the cut, mopped up the blood... and kissed him. It was a small, brief kiss, but it had made Luca's heart soar.

"We should at least be prepared," he said, taking four knives out of a rack and handing one each to Andrei, Irina and Ediz, keeping one for himself. He then began placing the other weapons in a cupboard out of sight.

Luca couldn't help falling for Andrei over the months they spent together. He was a strong boy, just sixteen years old and struggling to protect the few family members he had left. He worked hard to protect everyone and refused to give up hope. And Luca, in return, wanted to protect him, to keep him safe, since there was no one left to look out for him.

His older brother, Alin, was killed getting them out of London, where it was most dangerous, where anyone who stayed was rounded up by gangs and murdered in the most brutal ways possible. Alin had tried to shield them from the severed heads displayed on bridges and the screams as people were dragged into vans and never seen again, and after he was murdered, Andrei took his place. He carried on Alin's work and took his siblings south, hoping to buy his way onto a boat, and after discovering there were no ships left, just focused on keeping everyone alive.

"Luca, dear, please sit down," Andrei looked up, exhausted.

"Not yet." Luca was joined in his search by Ediz, who followed him as he looked behind cupboards and fridges. That was a surprise. Ediz didn't like Luca! In fact, none of Andrei's siblings did. They didn't trust him, or his fondness of their brother, and didn't even bother to call him by his real name, referring to him as 'llama' instead. Luca didn't mind the nickname so much, but was hurt by their hostility.

Still, these were desperate times, and it seemed the children were willing to put aside old grudges.

"Hey, kid," he smiled, ruffling the other's hair, once closely shaved, now chopped and uneven as it grew back. Ediz didn't smile back.

"Llama, I'm scared," he mumbled, wrapping his arms around Luca's waist.

"We all are," Luca replied, "and for good reason."

"So it's not bad that I'm scared?"

"Not at all," Luca picked Ediz up and held him close, "it'd be weirder if you weren't scared."

Ediz was just ten; he shouldn't have to worry about being murdered. Neither should Irina or Stanislav, or even Andrei and Luca. They were all kids, and should be safe and home with their families, not struggling to survive in a warzone. Even Luca, who was eighteen, just wanted to go home and find his siblings, and have a peaceful life with Andrei. Then again, if the war hadn't broken out and he'd not been stranded here, then Luca never would've met Andrei.

"Hey, what's this?" Luca spied a pile of colourful papers on the table and picked it up, wiping away a thick layer of dust. The word 'May' stared back at him in faint lettering. A calendar?

"Andrei," he began, flicking through the pages, still holding a curious Ediz, "how long have we been here?"

"Seven months," Andrei replied, looking up, "the first bombs fell on the 10th May. Alin died on the 28th. We met in June."

"How many days?"

"Since the 10th? 235."

"That many, huh?" Luca sank back down next to him, Ediz on his lap and staring at him as he counted the days. Then he stopped, letting go of the pages and slowly dropping the calendar.

"What?" asked Andrei.

"It's New Year's Eve," Luca muttered back.

"Is it now?" Andrei raised an eyebrow, "so we've been out here that long?"

"Seems so."

"Well, I was saving this for a special occasion," Andrei produced a grimy bottle from his pocket and passed it to Luca, who read the label and broke into a grin.

"Beer!" he cried, "and Belgian beer too! Thank you." With some difficulty, he pulled the top off and took a swig before passing it back to Andrei. It was flat, and warm, but it was still beer.

"Happy New Year," Andrei replied, and- after brief consideration- passed the bottle to Ediz, upon instruction that he didn't then give it to Irinushka.

"What time do you think it is?"

"Who knows? My watch stopped working months ago." Andrei rested his head against Luca's shoulder, and Luca ran his fingers through the other's hair.

"Do you think it's still 2015?" Ediz asked.

"No way of knowing; I'd like to think it's not though," Andrei nudged his brother playfully. "Guess that means Christmas is next week, kids." Irinushka and Ediz cheered at that, then flinched at the shouts from outside.

"Last week," Luca frowned, "Christmas was last week." He took the bottle off of Ediz and took another long slug.

"For you maybe, Catholic boy, but not us. Ours is on the 7th."

"Well then we have to ensure you see Christmas, even if I missed it," Luca glanced over at him, and saw Andrei had watery eyes. He clutched Stanislav tighter to his chest.

"Thank you, but there's no way..." he stopped as Ediz began to tear up, Irinushka quickly following.

"I want to see Christmas," she sniffled. Luca watched as Andrei tried to calm them down, speaking in his own language this time, Moldovan, apparently. He watched the boy's eyes soften, heard the gentle tone of his voice.

Andrei's dark hair was matted and out of control, rarely brushed even before the war, and he had the beginnings of stubble growing along his jaw. Like everyone else in the room, he wore a thick coat, patched up the best he could and covered in dirt and grime. A tiny hat, similar to one his brother wore, rested on his head. He wiped a smear of mud from his face as he talked.

Luca remembered the first time Andrei had told him he loved him, a few months ago when the children were asleep, all of them hiding in the rubble of a house that only had a handful of rooms still standing. The little ones had soon dropped off on a mattress, under a pile of blankets, but Andrei and Luca remained awake, and eventually Andrei told him there was something he wanted to say. They'd gone into the next room. Andrei confessed. Luca replied with a confession of his own, that he loved Andrei back. They'd kissed, long and slow before things started going further. Luca had been consumed by his emotions, surrendering his heart and body to Andrei. They'd fallen on the sofa, kissing harder. Exploring each other, running hands through each other's hair. Luca remembered that night well.

Before that, their relationship had been slow and cautious. Luca was terrified of rejection, and Andrei didn't want anyone else in his heart, his aching, broken heart full of wounds where his loved ones had been. Who had time for love in a world so brutal? But caring, kind Luca had wormed his way in somehow, with a strange mixture of charm, politeness, protectiveness... and not killing anyone. That was always a plus in Andrei's eyes. Previous to their meeting and the war, Luca had known little of hardship, never having to worry about money or living in a dangerous neighbourhood, like Andrei and his siblings had, and that somehow gave him resilience, after he got over his initial shock. Andrei was cynical, and beaten down. He hadn't given up on life, but he didn't have the undying hope that Luca had, and he admired the other for it. Yes, Luca had few skills beside banking and his wit, and the only way he'd be useful in combat is if they somehow stumbled across a fencing foil and mask, but he was going to make damn sure Andrei and the children survived this apocalypse if it killed him.

Luca, on the other hand, thought Andrei was brilliant. He also had a need to protect him and the children, to save them at all costs. It was a new feeling, and not at all unwelcome. His brother and sister, Adriaan and Anri, had protected him to the point of mollycoddling, and now it was time for him to do the same to someone else, even if Andrei found it a little annoying at times.

Andrei had a fire inside him, one that kept him going through tough times, but he wasn't invincible. He needed someone to lean on when the crippling worry of their situation and the lives he was responsible for got too much for him. Sometimes he even needed a shoulder to cry on, and Luca was happy to provide him with one.

"You'll get out of here; I'll make sure of it," Luca finished off the beer and glanced up, and a slow, hopeful grin spread onto his face. He'd found it! A way out! There, above their heads, barely visible from the fridge beneath it, was the opening to an air vent.

"What did I tell you?" he hissed, jumping up excitedly and running over to the fridge. He tried not to think of how small it was; they'd fit through.

"You think we can get it open?" Andrei stood up and followed him, Ediz and Irinushka trailing behind.

"Of course!" Luca grabbed the fridge and pushed, Andrei joining in after setting Stanislav down on the table. Irina and Ediz helped, and soon the thing was pushed to the side, revealing the air vent above.

"Luca I don't think it's big enough," Andrei despaired, but he was ignored. The thumps on the door were louder now, and accompanied by cracks as the hinges began to give. They only had minutes now.

"It has to be," Luca muttered. He grabbed a chair and set it under the vent, climbing onto it and using the knife to unscrew the cover. After several minutes spent fumbling, the screws fell away one by one, leaving him with sore, sweaty hands and a racing heart that jumped at each thump, knowing it could be the last one before their attackers rushed in and killed them all.

But now they had an escape route.

"We're in," Luca poked his head through to check the coast was clear, pulling himself up with his arms.

And couldn't get in.

His shoulders were too wide to get through the vent, no matter how he twisted and turned. Luca tried not to panic, or jam himself in. If he got stuck, then he'd destroy the only chance of survival the others had. They still had a chance, and he couldn't blow it for them. He tried not to think of what this meant for him though; he didn't want to die, but he'd do it for them.

"You're safe to go up," he tried, pulling himself free and turning to face the others, but they just stared back in horror.

"You can't get through?" Andrei whispered, clutching his chest.

"Afraid not," Luca shrugged, "and maybe it's for the best. Someone's gotta stay and screw that cover back into place."

"We can't go without you!"

Luca jumped down from the chair and placed a finger over Andrei's lips. "Careful. They'll hear us."

"But-"

"You need to get the children to safety. Nothing else matters."

"You matter. To me."

"Likewise," Luca looked down, "that's why I have to make sure they never touch you. Any of you. I won't let the ones I love become like those poor souls downstairs."

Andrei blinked, tears beginning to form. "But I don't want to leave you behind."

"Ediz, Irinushka and Stanislav need you. They can't survive on their own. They need you alive." Luca leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead. "I need you to live. You're too special to just get murdered like this."

Andrei nodded, pulling him closer and kissing him on the lips. Luca felt the other's hot tears on his cheek, and Andrei's long hair tickled his nose and eyelids. He wrapped his arms around Andrei's smaller body, taking in his earthy scent one last time, feeling the boy's fangs graze against his bottom lip, just the way he liked it. This time, the children didn't groan or complain about the affection; they knew it was because they'd never see Luca again. Maybe they did make noise, but neither heard it, no sound reaching their ears as they shared their final kiss. When he pulled away, he took in the lines around Andrei's eyes, mature and shining with sorrow as the boy wiped his tear-stained cheeks. No, not a boy anymore, a man now.

"You can't go," he whispered, but it was no use. Luca was already pushing him towards the chair.

"I have to. And I won't be defenceless," he grinned and held up his knife.

"They'll cut you down in minutes," Andrei whispered.

"So try and make those minutes count for something." Luca knelt down and kissed Irinushka and Ediz's foreheads. "Be good now kids. Don't give your brother too much grief."

"Don't leave us, llama," Irina sobbed, clutching Ediz's hand as Luca pushed them towards Andrei.

"I have to," he repeated, picking up Stanislav. The baby looked at him boredly, clutching his toy duck as if contemplating whether or not to throw it at Luca's head.

Andrei lifted Irina up, and she climbed into the vent before he did the same for Ediz. "I should stay and help," he muttered.

"Now you know that's not practical," Luca took his hand and kissed it, "now get out of here, shorty."

"Bye bye, Mr Luca," Ediz said, peering down with wide, teary eyes.

"Awar, squirt."

"I'll miss you," Andrei muttered.

"I should hope so," Luca threw him a small smile, and Andrei shook his head as he climbed up. When he was through, Luca passed up Stanislav, the baby throwing his duck at Luca in return.

"Thanks, champ," he laughed, picking the duck up and passing it to Ediz for safekeeping.

"I'm so sorry," Andrei whispered, reaching a hand down and stroking Luca's face.

"Hey, I was just holding you all back anyway." Luca gently pulled Andrei's hand away, squeezing it before letting go.

"Don't say that! You saved us so many times!"

"If you say so. Can you do me one favour though?"

"Anything."

"If you somehow get rescued and everything goes back to normal, look for my siblings. Tell them I tried to find them, and... and what happened to me."

Andrei swallowed. "Of course..."

"Oh, and Happy New Year."

Luca gave one last smile before replacing the cover and screwing it back into place. He could barely see them through the gaps in the cover, and chose not to look. He could still hear them though.

"I love you, Luca Morgens."

"I love you too, Andrei Radacanu."

Luca stepped down and moved the chair back, listening to the faint clanging as Andrei crawled to safety with his siblings. They were safe now. They would find a way out and live. They would continue to survive and find a way out of this place.

And Luca would make sure they got a head start.

Still, if he couldn't fit in the vent, then those outside certainly couldn't.

He clutched his knife in his hands, knowing he was about to die. But it would be worth it, so long as the others lived. Andrei, Ediz, Irinushka and Stanislav were odd, eccentric and, at times, downright unnerving, but he loved them all so much, and couldn't let them die like he was about to.

He hoped Adriaan and Anri were still alive, and not missing him too much.

The clanging faded, and Luca was left alone. He promised himself he wouldn't cream or cry out, no matter the agony; Andrei might hear and try to save him.

Another thud, and the door finally crashed down, hitting the floor with a sharp sound, and Luca flinched. Here it was.

Monstrous, hulking figures burst in, weapons raised and heading straight for him.

Luca just smiled, leaping forward and holding his knife high.

Adriaan was right: everything had a price.

And his own life was the price he'd willingly pay to keep Andrei alive.

…

Awar being the Luxembourgish word for goodbye.

I was originally going to kill of Transnistria and Gagauzia too, but decided not to. Still, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year, and I hope you enjoyed this fic.